Once a shepherd found jugs with scrolls in the Qumran cave. He did not suspect what a treasure it was. Now these scrolls are in museums, they are studied by specialists. These are the oldest surviving copies of scripture.
What is a scroll
The book in its present form appeared only in the first century AD. It was called the Codex. These were cut into sheets and stitched parts of a scroll - a long canvas, parchment or papyrus. Scrolls were called books. There were storages and libraries with up to 700,000 scrolls (Library of Alexandria).
All of them are manuscripts, that is, written by hand. The scrolls were stored vertically in jugs. They were expensive. Could reach several meters. Long scrolls were wound on a special rolling pin with caps. There could be two to make it easier to deploy and read.
The ancient scroll had two forms of writing: literary, with columns of text similar to modern pages, and solid. The latter was used for documents.
How did papyrus and parchment
To understand what a scroll of papyrus is, you need to learn about its manufacture. Wild reeds growing along the banks of the Nile were harvested, peeled from the upper skin, and cut into leaf sizes. Then each piece was split along the fibers and flattened.
Several of these pieces were laid out densely on a hard surface, and then a layer of blanks was placed on top across the fibers. Pressed by oppression. And so several times. The cane juice is like glue, fresh papyrus glued together and became suitable for writing. They could glue several meters of canvas.
The technique of making leather for writing will explain what a scroll of parchment is. The skin of the sheep was soaked in a mortar, washed and pulled on wooden frames. Then they removed the mezdra, polished it and smoothed it with a pumice, rubbing the chalk. Now such scrolls can be seen in museums.
How scrolls were composed
There were two methods for making scrolls. The text could be written on separate sheets that were stitched into the canvas. The scriptorium, a room for writing manuscripts, was not initially equipped with tables. Often scribes wrote under dictation, replicating some text. Sitting on the floor, they held the letter on their lap. Later, a table appears with a device in the form of a desk, at which texts are written or rewritten.
Books written to order were made from a single papyrus canvas. They could contain diagrams, drawings, and large decorative letters. They cost more than ordinary, replicated books.
Modern people have a poor idea of what a scroll is. But this is a whole era of human history. Why not visit the museum and see them in person?